Brand Against the Machine: Take Your Brand to the Next Level


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Brand Against the MachineYou can never get enough branding and marketing information.  At least I could never read enough about branding and marketing.  So when John Morgan (@johnmorgan) sent me a copy of his new book, Brand Against the Machine: How to Build Your Brand, Cut Through the Marketing Noise, and Stand Out from the Competition, I couldn’t wait to dig in.

This marketing book delivers value from page one.  You won’t have to read through dozens of pages of personal war stories to get to the heart of what matters most in today’s world of branding and marketing.

About John Morgan

John Morgan is President of Brand Against the Machine, a company that specializes in personal and corporate branding.  His company also helps entrepreneurs brand themselves as authorities in their target markets.  The bio on his web site says that he’s been compared to the TV character House because of his keen ability to get to the heart of any business branding problem.

Tidbits and Tactics to Build Your Brand

Morgan’s branding philosophy comes through loud and clear as he preaches an engagement strategy that is common sense and yet eludes so many of our real life practices.

My favorite parts of Brand Against the Machine are the call-outs throughout the book that allow you to quickly focus on the key branding principles.  Morgan calls it a blueprint that covers the following areas:

  • Know who your target audience is and what they want.
  • Define your position as the go-to authority in your industry.
  • Determine your audience’s problem and create a solution.
  • Produce valuable content that attracts your audience and engages them.
  • Promote yourself without pestering people.
  • Over-deliver on your promises.

Overall there is great marketing and branding advice throughout this book.  In fact, if you are well on your way to building a solid brand, you’ll enjoy this book as a sort of affirmation of what you’ve already done.  As you read the book, you might also find some inspiration inside these pages and put some well-needed tweaks or strategies that you may not have considered.

If, however, you are a start-up and don’t quite have your branding strategy together, this book might not have enough specificity and push to help you be in action around defining your brand.  For example in Chapter 12 called “Creation Story,” Morgan tells us how important it is to have a story around your brand.  He gives the example several brand creation stories including his own.  Each story serves as a great example, but stops just short of actually helping you create your creation story.

Who Should Read Brand Against the Machine

Business owners and marketers are the ideal audience for Brand Against the Machine.  It’s written for those of us with a short attention span; it’s under 200 pages with easy to spot pull outs that will allow you to breeze through the book in an hour or so.

Sales professionals who play in competitive environments will also benefit from this book.  The advice Morgan shares will help you set yourself apart from the competition and make it easy for your customers to remember you and choose you.

Overall, Brand Against the Machine is an entertaining and engaging read into the world of branding and marketing strategy and will help you tighten your branding and marketing message.

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3 Comments ▼

Ivana Taylor Ivana Taylor is the Book Editor for Small Business Trends. She is responsible for directing the site’s book review program and manages the team of professional book reviewers. She also spearheads the annual Small Business Book Awards. Ivana publishes DIYMarketers, where she shares daily do-it-yourself marketing tips, and is co-author of "Excel for Marketing Managers."

3 Reactions
  1. I read it, too-Ivana.

    John and I worked out a little deal; he asked Wiley Publishing to send me a review copy of his book, and I asked Wiley to send a review copy of mine to him.

    His book was great. I got a lot out of it.

    First off, any book that has a title that suggests it’s going to be us against them, I’m all eyes. I love David and Goliath themed stuff.

    In this case, John writes about cutting through the noise–the huge amount of marketing messages that we’re all exposed to, daily. (The noise being Goliath.)

    This book shows people that are trying to get their messages across several ways to cut through the loudness.

    I like John’s style. A lot. I hope to meet him someday.

    Great review, Ivana!

    Keep them coming….

    The Franchise King®

  2. This sounds like a great book. I agree with the points listed above and to add to it…use great design to help you differentiate!

  3. Thanks for the review Ivana! I appreciate your kind words and honest review. I’m glad you found value in the book. I’m excited about how it’s help people with their business.